Bianca Alvarez Wins Big Ten Medal of HonorTwenty-five members named Scholar-Athletes in 2012

Bianca Alvarez

May 22, 2012

COLUMBUS, Ohio –The Ohio State women’s swimming and diving team accomplished great success for the 2011-12 academic campaign with a total of 25 Scholar-Athletes attaining a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Diver Bianca Alvarez won the prestigious Big Ten Medal of Honor, which was announced at the 45th-annual Scholar-Athlete Dinner May 16 at the Archie M. Griffin Grand Ballroom at the Ohio Union.

As one of the most accomplished divers in recent Ohio State history, Alvarez capped her senior year with two Big Ten titles (1- and 3-meter springboards) as well as a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships (3-meter springboard). The eight-time All-American earned her success after battling back from an injury that sidelined her for the entire 2008-09 season. In March, Alvarez was named Big Ten Diver of the Year - Ohio State's first to receive the honor since Aimee Hogan in 1996. Along with her athletic accomplishments, Alvarez is also a five-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete and two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree. A native of Miami, Fla., Alvarez will graduate with degrees in neuroscience and psychology. She plans to attend graduate school for a master's degree in medical science, eventually leading to medical school in the future.

The 2012 graduating senior class included two swimmers that were four-time Scholar-Athletes and two divers that were five-time selections. The senior class had an excellent representation by Catherine Eitel and Lisa Narum who were four- time Scholar-Athletes along with Alvarez and Kristen Asman who were five-time Scholar-Athletes.

Out of the 29 student-athletes on the team, 25 were Scholar-Athletes this year, proving to be one of the top academic achieving teams on campus. With many distinct majors, the squad continues to excel in the classroom, as well as, in the pool at the Division I collegiate level. The women's diving squad also earned the most improved team GPA award at the Scholar-Athlete dinner.

The list of OSU Scholar-Athletes for the 2011-12 school year includes (individuals with an asterisk – must be sophomore academically – were also named Academic All-Big Ten Conference for having at least 3.30 GPA).